Sep 122017
 

 

Fans of extreme metal and those of us who choose to write about it throw around words like “savage”, “ferocious”, and “bestial” as if they were beads at a Mardi Gras parade. Perhaps we throw them around so often and in so many directions that their currency becomes devalued. But in the case of Hades Archer, those words are really understatements. We need some kind of new terminology.

This Chilean band’s new album Temple of the Impure as been alliteratively described by agents of Hells Headbangers (who will release it in October) as “a fucking firestorm of filth and foulness, a forever-flowing fount of unnervingly hypnotic ultra violence”. That’s some good terminology, vivid and bullseye-accurate. But of course I’d like to try my own hand at describing the truly remarkable slaughtering impact of this music. In fact, I already have. Continue reading »

Jul 192017
 

 

I had a great weekend, thanks for asking. I devoted it to visits by out-of-town family and a two-day picnic, and NCS took a distant back seat, which is why there was no weekend round-up and no SHADES OF BLACK column. We avoided going dark only though the valiant efforts of Andy Synn and DGR.

Predictably, I now have a big list of new songs and videos to share around, too many for one post. We’ll start with offerings from five bands, and I’ll have at least one and probably two more round-ups this week. Might get one more done today, but maybe not. A meteor strike could decimate my home, the chime on a dryer could alert me that it’s time to get the clothes out, I might feel like chasing a passing car, the lorises might commence war games again. The crystal ball is cloudy.

KERES

The new Keres EP (released July 12th) is an exception to the (admittedly porous) rule in our site’s title, but it’s a slam-dunk exception: Justin Helvete’s voice is a truly remarkable instrument. And everything else about these three songs is also remarkable. Continue reading »